gull-like shore bird (subfamily Sterninae), 1670s, via East Anglian dialect, from a Scandinavian source (compare Danish terne, Swedish tärna, Færoese terna) related to Old Norse þerna "tern" (also "maid-servant"), cognate with Old English stearn.
terminer
terminology
terminus
termite
terms
tern
ternary
Terpsichore
terpsichorean
terr
terra